Flowers, 5Ks, and Fiancées-A May 2011 TR *Updated 4/30 The Last Update*

[Aussiesalad]

Coordination really does go out the window when leaving rides. It's like you psych yourself out by trying to hard not to stumble and to be quick. I just hate how people waiting behind me always give me a look that says, "I've waited in line for an hour for this ride. My feet hurt, my clothes are dripping with sweat, do NOT stand in my way!" .

And then you have to give them the look that says "I am really sorry, I swear I am not trying to ruin your magic and hold you up on purpose I just am trapped by by own lack of coordination and your death stares are not helping!"

 

[fromscratchmom]

And then you have to give them the look that says "I am really sorry, I swear I am not trying to ruin your magic and hold you up on purpose I just am trapped by by own lack of coordination and your death stares are not helping!"

 

[amazingact21]

And then you have to give them the look that says "I am really sorry, I swear I am not trying to ruin your magic and hold you up on purpose I just am trapped by by own lack of coordination and your death stares are not helping!"

Haha, that's so true!

 

[amazingact21]

It's kind of hard to believe that I'll be at MNSSHP in 18 days. I still have so much to do. Alex hasn't even bought all his cruise clothes yet!
I'm pretty excited, though, because Alex and I are going to ride something we've never been on before while we're at MNSSHP. We are going to go on Peter Pan's Flight. It's crazy, but we've never been on it before, so I am THRILLED to try something new and different!

Morning of May 9th:

Exiting Test Track, DH and I spotted another attraction that was completely empty. As we headed towards it, I spotted another topiary.

It was DH's favorite Disney character!

Stitch!
f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

I loved how they did Stitch's hand. Very in-character and amusing.


Pulling DH away, we turned our attention back to the original focal point:


Both of us were a teensy bit apprehensive about MissionSpace. We rode it twice back in December, and both times the ride left us feeling a little queasy.

However, we're nothing if not persistent, so DH and I decided to give the ride one more try, believing the 3rd time was the charm.

Since we were feeling brave, we chose to enter the Orange side, which was completely empty!


It's kind of amusing, because DH has never actually taken a really good look at the queue area, because every time we go on the attraction, it's walk-on! There's not a soul in sight!

See, we had the waiting room completely to ourselves:



I love these space suits:
f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

We listened to Gary Sinese give us our pre-flight instructions, and then we boarded our space craft. Now, call me a bad Disney addict, but I cannot remember the order of the seats. I want to say Engineer is on the far right, followed by Pilot, but I really have no idea...

But, whatever the two roles were, that's what DH and I did. And this was our first time sitting all the way to the right, which proved to be a good thing.

We had a great ride and got off feeling fine.

(The first time I got a non-sick picture after MissionSpace)
f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


We walked back out to the entrance area and discussed how much nicer the ride was from the right side. It was less intense and the "pull" didn't feel as strong from that side.

Glancing at the cool globe, I took a moment to enjoy the morning:


While taking in my surroundings, I happened to see a family of four trying to take a picture of themselves with their phone. Knowing firsthand how difficult it is to get family photos with everyone in the picture, I offered to take a picture for them.

They were really nice and afterwards asked if DH and I wanted one. Of course, we said yes and ended up with one of my favorite pictures on the trip:


My crazy A-type personality comes out every time I see this picture, because I can't help but think to myself, "How perfect-Alex's shirt matches so well with the orange in the sign."


The two of us decided to push our luck some more and go on MissionSpace again. We figured we'd run into good luck the first time, so it might carry over into our next experience.

Right?

Wrong!!

But first off, I just want to say that May 9th was the hottest of our days at WDW. It was only 10 o'clock in the morning and already the humidity was horrendous. DH took a picture of me while we were walking through the (still empty) MissionSpace queue, and you can see that I was already sweating like a pig!



We re-entered our shuttle:


Unfortunately, there was another couple in line with us for this ride. (What're the chances?! Not a person in sight for miles and miles, and, at the last minute, other guests pop up right when we're about to board.)

I tried to stand on the number where I'd end up climbing in the shuttle first, but the people didn't listen to the instructions and jumped ahead of us when our door opened.

Therefore, DH and I ended up on the dreaded left side.

The ride was not fun that time around. It left us with that light-headed feeling, and we needed to walk around for a bit in order to settle ourselves down.

Both of us made a definite decision right then and there:
The Orange side is banned for us forever and ever.

You won't see me going on that intense version ever again.

Yeah, sitting on the right made it really fun, but I am not risking feeling ill just to chance getting a good spot.

It was a big disappointment to DH, because he hates having to abandon a ride. He's such a thrill ride junkie, and he doesn't want to throw in the towel on a WDW ride.

We gave ourselves about ten minutes to chill, sitting on the sidewalk outside the attraction, people watching. When we felt up to it, we walked back to Test Track and picked up another set of FPs for the afternoon. Then, seeing it was about 10:30, we used our first set of FPs and rode it again.

DH spotted a Hidden Mickey in the queue:
f4 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

While riding, we noticed that Test Track was messing up. The part where you're supposed to run over all the cones during the brake test wasn't working at all, and when we got to where we were meant to watch the video of the event, there was nothing playing. It wasn't a big deal, because it didn't detract from the overall ride experience, but I did wonder what was going on.

Afterwards, DH and I joked that our Disney obsessive-ness was reaching new heights; we'd hit a new milestone. We had recognized a difference on a ride, suggesting that we'd gone on the attraction enough times to notice little things like that.

We joked about that little fact all the way over to the International Gateway.

Right before entering the WS, we spotted a circle of topiaries displaying Winnie the Pooh characters.


Tigger was too cute! And we saw so many little kids giggling over him and begging their parents to take a picture with them next to him, doing their best hopping impression. It was adorable!

DH happened to look to our left and saw this beautiful sight:


I am such a visual person, that I associate so many things with spring and early summer. And thanks to Epcot's wonderful skills, this is something that screams Spring to me. I close my eyes and see all those pinks and oranges under a bright blue sky and can't help but think about April showers and May flowers.

Captivated, DH and I continued on to the WS. It was just about 11 o'clock, so there was still plenty of kiosks and stores in the first stages of opening their doors and throwing off their canvas covers.

There to greet us into the World Showcase were the characters of Cars 2 and these amazing flag topiaries depicting some of the countries guests would encounter.

Here's Mater:


Since Cars 2 was premiering the next month, Disney was doing its best to promote the movie. Somewhere around the flowers were speakers, belting out Rascal Flatts's "Life is a Highway."

And behind the Cars were these:
f5 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

In the background, we could see what we were looking for.

The American Pavilion.

It sounds a little nuts, but we planned to focus our day in Future World and hit the WS the following day, so we were only in that area for one reason.

And that was lunch!

I must be crazy, but my favorite CS restaurant in the WS is the Liberty Inn. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their honey mustard sauce and chicken strips. So, naturally, that was where I wanted to eat.

DH, being the laid back person that he is, had agreed to travel all the way across the park just to eat there, so off we went!


Up Next:Congratulations, I'm a Captain, I Can Marry You- It Wouldn't Be Legal, Though.

 

[TanzUnited99]

on going on Peter Pan's flight - can't wait to hear what you think about it!

I love the photo of DH (nearly wrote DBF!) with Stitch - that is great!

Lol you are not the only one to remember which roles are where on MS - am afraid I can't be of much help with that.

Aaw that's nice of you to take a photo for the family and for them to return the favour. I love that photo of you guys as well!

Lol I'm looking forward to hearing if the orange side of MS is really banned or you try it on your upcoming trip!

I love the F&G topiaries especially Tigger! We never tried Liberty Inn but if it is your favourite CS may have to try it on a future trip

 

[Aussiesalad]

Woah I never thought about the difference between left and right sides on Mission Space. I just thought people either got sick on it or they didn't. At least you got one successful ride before it got banned!
I love that ride but the queue makes me so nervous, they play the warning so many times it makes me feel like throwing up before I even leave the waiting area.

That is a great picture of you guys outside of MS!

Awh I love how pretty Epcot looks with all the flowers! Its gorgeous! Makes me want to go nowwww haha

I am interested to hear about Liberty Inn, can't say I've eaten there. I am always too hungry and only make it as far as Mexico

 

[amazingact21]

on going on Peter Pan's flight - can't wait to hear what you think about it!

I love the photo of DH (nearly wrote DBF!) with Stitch - that is great!

Lol you are not the only one to remember which roles are where on MS - am afraid I can't be of much help with that.

Aaw that's nice of you to take a photo for the family and for them to return the favour. I love that photo of you guys as well!

Lol I'm looking forward to hearing if the orange side of MS is really banned or you try it on your upcoming trip!

I love the F&G topiaries especially Tigger! We never tried Liberty Inn but if it is your favourite CS may have to try it on a future trip

In comparison, the Liberty Inn really isn't that special (especially with all the other unique places to eat in the WS) but I just love the convience of it.

As of right now, there's still no MissionSpace in the books for our future trip!

Woah I never thought about the difference between left and right sides on Mission Space. I just thought people either got sick on it or they didn't. At least you got one successful ride before it got banned!
I love that ride but the queue makes me so nervous, they play the warning so many times it makes me feel like throwing up before I even leave the waiting area.

That is a great picture of you guys outside of MS!

Awh I love how pretty Epcot looks with all the flowers! Its gorgeous! Makes me want to go nowwww haha

I am interested to hear about Liberty Inn, can't say I've eaten there. I am always too hungry and only make it as far as Mexico

I never would've thought that the side you ride on would make a difference, but that's the only thing DH and I could think of that would explain the difference.

Epcot was especially nice with all the flowers. It's not a huge event, but I would recommend going during that time, just because that time of the year was so nice!

 

[Shannon84]

I want so badly to be able to ride mission space orange side and enjoy it, but instead I always feel like my chest will cave in and I get off feeling like this guy

Poor DBF is riding that one alone in a week when we go!! I can do pretty much any ride, but that one just isn't happening

 

[Queenofallthings]

I know exactly how you felt after that second ride on MS. The first year the ride opened we did it and it took me hours to recover I went thru 3 containers of watermelon...I couldn't eat anything else After that, it was green team all the way once they changed it!!!

I love the picture of the two of you in front of MS!!!

 

[lilmape]

My husband and i are huge fans of the big kahuna breakfast at Kona! Love the pancakes. We went twice on our last trip. The steak and eggs are amazing too! Your trip reports are fantastic!

 

[amazingact21]

I want so badly to be able to ride mission space orange side and enjoy it, but instead I always feel like my chest will cave in and I get off feeling like this guy

Poor DBF is riding that one alone in a week when we go!! I can do pretty much any ride, but that one just isn't happening

I don't blame you for sending your DBF on that one alone, that ride is just a little too intense for me.

I know exactly how you felt after that second ride on MS. The first year the ride opened we did it and it took me hours to recover I went thru 3 containers of watermelon...I couldn't eat anything else After that, it was green team all the way once they changed it!!!

I love the picture of the two of you in front of MS!!!

Oh no. I forgot that when the ride first opened, you didn't have a choice between 2 intensities. Back then, though, I didn't have issues with it. I guess I was just younger and could handle the spinning better.
That's terrible that you couldn't eat anything besides watermelon, though! Definitely a rain cloud on a Disney day.

My husband and i are huge fans of the big kahuna breakfast at Kona! Love the pancakes. We went twice on our last trip. The steak and eggs are amazing too! Your trip reports are fantastic!

Thanks!
zthe Big Kahuna is really delicious. I can see why you and your DH went twice. I'm sure if my DH had his way, we'd eat at Kona every day!



Just Letting Everyone Know...


I wish I had gotten farther on this TR than I did, but between planning and having a wedding and then planning a Disney cruise/Disney trip, I just ran out of time.
When DH and I get back, we're hoping to move into a new house, but once we're all settled in, I'm going to become a TR updating queen! I kind of want to finish up this report quickly, because I want to begin my May 2012 PTR. My mom and I are already discussing plans and buying items for the trip, so I want to talk about it.
I've decided I'm not going to do a whole TR on my cruise and Disney stay, just because, knowing me, it would take a year to finish a trip report that long. However, I'll probably post 2 or 3 updates on here with pictures so that if anyone wants to see the Disney Magic or WDW during the fall they can.

So, sorry I won't have an update on my May trip for at least 2 weeks. Hope I don't lose all my readers due to that! I promise I'll return even more Disney-crazed than when I left!

And now, on to packing!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Have a great trip!!! on leaving in 2 DAYS!!!

Congrats on moving into a new house. I'll still be here when you return and look forward to hearing about the rest of this trip as well as the cruise

 

[Shannon84]

I hope you guys have a most wonderful honeymoon If you see someone pouting at POP when you arrive its me

 

[PirateKate]

Have a great time!!

 

[okw19]

Have a wonderful time!

 

[magichusky]

I can't wait to see pics of the Magic!! I've heard such amazing things about the Disney cruises. And I'm so excited that you guys are going to MNSSHP this year- I'm going to the DL party tomorrow night and am stoked!

Love the updates- you guys are some serious ride junkies! There's no way I'd be able to tolerate RNRC so many times. And I totally agree about the Test Track car being hard to get in and out of; back in September I sort of banged my leg on the side of the car as I was getting out and totally had to go to the first aid station. The hardest ride for me to get in and out of however is by far Space Mtn. I'm always the last one out of that thing and it's so embarrassing b/c I consider myself a fairly agile person!

 

[Nermel9]

I would love to see pics of the cruise ship, I really want to do a Disney cruise someday! Hope you're having a great time!

 

[amazingact21]

Have a great trip!!! on leaving in 2 DAYS!!!

Congrats on moving into a new house. I'll still be here when you return and look forward to hearing about the rest of this trip as well as the cruise

I hope you guys have a most wonderful honeymoon If you see someone pouting at POP when you arrive its me

Have a great time!!

Have a wonderful time!

I can't wait to see pics of the Magic!! I've heard such amazing things about the Disney cruises. And I'm so excited that you guys are going to MNSSHP this year- I'm going to the DL party tomorrow night and am stoked!

Love the updates- you guys are some serious ride junkies! There's no way I'd be able to tolerate RNRC so many times. And I totally agree about the Test Track car being hard to get in and out of; back in September I sort of banged my leg on the side of the car as I was getting out and totally had to go to the first aid station. The hardest ride for me to get in and out of however is by far Space Mtn. I'm always the last one out of that thing and it's so embarrassing b/c I consider myself a fairly agile person!

I would love to see pics of the cruise ship, I really want to do a Disney cruise someday! Hope you're having a great time!

Thanks for the well wishes, everyone.
Sadly, I'm back home and am playing catch-up; there's so much to do when you've been absent for 12 days!

The trip was definitely interesting. I wish I could say it was as magical as our first two Disney trips, but unfortunately we had some major ups and downs.

Our trip was deemed the "7 day mystery cruise" because it didn't go follow any of the itenerary plans. Overall, I had a good time, but I am just not a big cruiser.

And somehow, I caught a cold and became sick on our Disney days. I fell asleep on MK's sidewalk waiting for the MNSSHP parade!

I'll be sure to post pictures of the ship and give my top 5 highlights from WDW, but for now, I need sleep (still sick) and laundry!

 

[Shannon84]

If you dont mind, will you do a little update on your cruise and dislikes/likes, etc.? I know you said you probably won't do a report about it, but I would love to hear some about it, because we are thinking of doing one next year ourselves

I looked for you guys when we were at POP! on the weekend we left I was SOOOO sad to come home!!

 

[amazingact21]

If you dont mind, will you do a little update on your cruise and dislikes/likes, etc.? I know you said you probably won't do a report about it, but I would love to hear some about it, because we are thinking of doing one next year ourselves

I looked for you guys when we were at POP! on the weekend we left I was SOOOO sad to come home!!

I was planning to dedicate at least one post to the pros/cons of the cruise, so now I will definitely get around to it.
Even with my kind of negative comments in my last post, I'd say go ahead and give it a try. You really won't know if you like it until you do it.

And, if you do and go through Disney, be sure and join the cruise meets thread. I would have been completely lost without that thread. Everyone was willing to answer all my questions and gave me advice on stuff. Plus, I got to know and get along with some of them on the trip.


I kept an eye out for you guys at Pop, as well. But we didn't check in until 1:30, so you two had probably already left by then. (I did see a ME bus pulling out as we walked to the lobby and thought, "I wonder if Shannon84 is on that?") I hope you enjoyed your trip, though. I'm keeping an eye out for a TR.....